UNITED NATIONS, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Britain will take action to "alleviate humanitarian distress and deter the future use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime", the British Ambassador to the United Nations, Karen Pierce, said here Friday.
Pierce said the cabinet met recently and concluded that the "Assad regime" has a track record of using chemical weapons. Therefore it has agreed to take action against the Syrian Government of President Bashar al-Assad.
The British Government's decision comes despite the United Nations (UN) and many UN member states calling for an independent and transparent investigation into the alleged chemical attack in Douma, a Syrian suburb northeast of capital Damascus, on April 7.
While Britain alleges the Syrian Government was behind the attack, the latter has denied any involvement.
Pierce also said France, Britain and the United States support the fact-finding mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is to investigate the Douma attack.
OPCW inspectors will begin work on Saturday to determine whether chemical weapons were used in Douma, the agency confirmed Friday.
In August 2016, a report by the UN and the OPCW said the Syrian military used chemical weapons in the town of Talmenes in April 2013 and Sarmin in March 2015, while the Islamic State employed mustard gas in the town of Marea in August 2015.
